The third harvest at The Vineyard Hotel

We were summoned to the Vineyard at 7 am on Monday morning for a glass of fresh orange juice or some bubbly and marshalled into helping harvest the rows of grapes that grow alongside the Lieesbek River. Our vine had over 24 bunches this year, smaller than last year and they had been sulphured to stave off the rot. We await this year’s wine (being made at Meerlust) with great interest

The nets have been lifted and we can see the good harvest of grapes that need picking in this tiny vineyard. The good news is that soon they are going to extend the vineyard with some Chardonnay vines which will be planted on the property at the top of the vineyard, which they also own

A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to wake up the senses. Many lug boxes wait to be filled with the grapes.

It's a good harvest

This is the vine that we look after, filled with bunches of ripe sauvignon blanc grapes

More awake, we can't wait to get going

It’s not difficult, it’s a bit sticky and you just have to watch those sharp secateurs

Busy, busy. Candice Bresler of The Phoenix Partnership and Kerry Sutherland of Waterford Estate

Lynne doing triage on the bunches, removing the bad grapes

Filling up our lug box

Roy Davies GM of the Vineyard Hotel, and Kerry Sutherland tweeting about the Harvest

We finished in less than an hour so it was time for a good glass of Simonsig Brut MCC

The matriarch of the Vineyard Hotel, Kitty Petousis helping herself to a healthy breakfast

Lots of lovely things available for hungry harvesters

Lynne veers more to the savoury side

And with breakfast, more Simonsig to refresh us

Yes, we think this is a much better use for the jam pot

Bottles of the last two vintages. We were finished by 9 and could go back to work

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015